Behind Enemy Lines…the Jew!

Behind Enemy Lines – the Jew!

This poster depicts a large, portly Jewish man behind the Soviet, British and American flags, with the translated caption: “Behind Enemy Lines – the Jew!” (Getty Images). Little is known about this poster, except that the artist was named Hamil and the poster was created in 1945. Antisemitism is a common theme in Nazi propaganda, and this was one of many posters from 1930s and 1940s. The Nazis believed that the Jews were the cause of Germany’s economic troubles and moral predicaments (Koonz). They also alleged that the Jews were controlling the affairs of other countries, and that they should be wiped out. Nations who stood up to Germany were seen as collaborating with the Jews. Terms such as “Jewish Bolshevism” and “mongrel nation” were defined to demonize the Allied Powers and use the Jews as a scapegoat (Hertzstein).

Artistically, this poster displays an obese, well-dressed man with a Star of David hanging down like a pocket-watch. He has a large nose and is giving a sideways glance. The man is only partially visible and is peering out. Behind him are the flags of the Soviet Union, the United Kingdom, and the United States. The flags hide most of his frame, giving a large shadowy outline. In the lower left corner, the caption reads: “Behind Enemy Lines – the Jew!” This caption is meant to indicate that the Jews are the puppet-masters behind the Allies (Bytwerk 39). The Allies are demonized as lovers of the Jews and impure. For example, the British are described as “the Jew among the Aryan people” for not allying with the Germans (Hertzstein). This poster also gives the indication that since the Jews are not human, the Nazis have a valid reason to justify slaughtering the Jews. Although not specified, it is assumed that this poster is intended for German citizens, and its goal is to show the Jews as enemies and the countries that are victims of the Jews.

Similar posters were created by the Nazi regime. A central part of the Nazi platform was that they were the chosen, the purebred Aryans. The Jews were seen as the enemy, the manipulators who had reeked chaos across Germany and the world (Koonz). Hitler asserted that they were behind the communist and capitalist regimes, and believed in pacifism, internationalism and democracy. By proclaiming the United States, the United Kingdom and the Soviet Union as Jewish havens, the Nazi regime can demonize their enemies.

Throughout the course of World War II, Nazi Germany depicted the Jews as the epitome of evil, counter to the values of a good Nazi. The propaganda campaign created many posters that vilified the United States, United Kingdom and the Soviet Union and coupled them with Jews. Antisemitism was core to the Nazi ideology, and the posters seek to reinforce that stance.

Sources:

Bytwerk, Randall L. The Propagandas of Nazi Germany and the German Democratic Republic. Michigan State University Press, 2004.

Hertzstein, Robert Edwin. The War that Hitler Won. G.P. Putnam’s Sons, 1977.